G R A M M A R Fill in each of the numbered gaps (1-10) in the passage with ONE (1) suitable word. Write your answers in the spaces below the article. After living (1). the threat of extinction for more than 30 years, the national bird of the United States has been granted an official reprieve, as the bald eagle and twenty-eight other animal and plant species have been earmarked (2). removal from America s list of endangered species. The bald eagle, also known as the whiteheaded sea eagle, took pride of place at the top of a list of species likely to be taken off the endangered register in the coming years. The proposed de-listings are (3). promoted by the US interior secretary to counter a growing feeling among Republicans that endangered-species laws do (4).. work. Charges of ineffectiveness, have (5). levelled against these laws before, but more recently it has (6). been suggested that the situation may actually have been made worse by them. The recovery of the bald eagle follows thirty-one years on the critical list. Its numbers had been reduced (7). fewer than five hundred by the use of pesticides that reacted adversely with its reproductive system. The number of nesting pairs (8).. now estimated at five thousand. The interior secretary claims that the new list was a vindication of the legislation under (9).. the eagle, a national symbol taken originally from the Indians, and more than a thousand other species (10).. protected. Until now, few species have ever been removed from the list. When they have, it was usually because they had become extinct..../ 10 pts
G R A M M A R (continued) For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence using the WORD given. Do not change the word given. 1. Nobody takes time off in this company. UNHEARD.... 2. She specifically stressed the need for absolute confidentiality. EMPHASIS.... 3. It would have been common courtesy to let me know you were coming. MIGHT... 4. I can t say I enjoy it when people tear my writing to pieces in front of me. HAVING... 5. If we delay too long, we are unlikely to clinch the deal. LONGER........./ 5 pts Total Points:... /15 pts
V O C A B U L A R Y Complete each sentence (1-10) with the best answer (a, b, c or d). Circle your answers. 1 I think I need a holiday. I have been feeling rather... lately. a. below standard b. downcast c. off colour d. under strength 2 Although the conditions weren t ideal for a walk, I decided to... a go for it. a. make b. do c. run d. carry 3 It is difficult to conceive the vast... of energy required by marathon runners. a. volumes b. quantities c. reserves d. amounts 4 I thought the film would have a/an... finish, but there was a clever twist towards the end. a. thrilling b. appealing c. predictable d. nail-biting 5 I have rarely seen such an impressive sight as a... buffalo roaming. a. flock b. swarm c. pack d. herd 6 The race car driver handled the corner with... skill. a. consummate b. comprehensive c. confirmed d. compulsive 7 The problem of finding transport to the outback was... by the recent torrential rains. a) exacerbated b. deepened c. sharpened d. fulfilled 8 Because I was there, I feel responsible, which by the same... means you should too. a. matters b. case c. instance d. token 9 I can t help thinking he offered his apology with a... of irony. a. touch b. spot c. torrent d. dash 10 They wanted to know if our kitchen... the required standard of hygiene. a. fulfilled b. met c. reached d. gained Total Points:.../ 10 pts
V O C A B U L A R Y : P R O G R E S S I V E T E S T Fill in the chart below with words associated with crime. (Time limit: 3 minutes) You will score 1 point for every 3 correctly spelled answers. VERB PERSON CRIME ex. steal ex. thief ex. theft Total Points:...
R E A D I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N Read the following article. There is one task to do on the next page after you read. According to a 2001 survey, at any time about one in ten of us describe ourselves as madly in love. Love is remarkably common. In the survey only one in five of the 1,000 people interviewed said they were not really in love, with most of the rest (1). So what is this feeling called love? To many researchers, the classic symptoms of butterflies in the tummy, rapid pulse rate and legs turning to jelly are far from mysterious. Many believe it can all be explained by our biochemistry. Scientists believe the excitement of that facial attraction is created by adrenaline the same hormone that is produced when we are under stress. When stimulated, the adrenaline glands also produce a hormone called cortisone, (2). Eyes give away the fact that you are in love, or at least very much attracted to someone because (3). Having large pupils also means that we are more appealing to others. Desmond Morris, a scientist who studies human behaviour, proved this point by showing a picture of a woman to a large number of men. He told them that she has a twin sister, (4). When the men were asked which of the twins they d like to take out for the evening, most chose the one with larger pupils. In another study, scientists used two bridges over the Capilano River in British Columbia. One was a very dangerous-looking bridge which was 70 metres above the river, while the other was a solid concrete bridge. An attractive female researcher stopped men coming off each bridge. She managed to give them her phone number while she pretended to get them to fill out a questionnaire. Many more of the men who had crossed the dangerous bridge later phoned the researcher to ask her out than those who had crossed the safe bridge. This made researchers think that love is much like any other emotional state. Because their adrenaline is flowing and their hearts are beating fast, (5) even if they are actually a bit frightened. But how do we select our partners from all the thousands of possible people? People are often attracted to others (6) even if they often don t realize that they have anything in common. We give out unspoken messages about ourselves every day. It s not just the way we dress, but our posture, facial expressions, movements, tone of voice and so on. We naturally choose partners who are of similar family background, social class and upbringing. We are all looking for something familiar though (7).
R E A D I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N (continued) Facial attractiveness is a big influence on our choice of partners, too. People have longlasting relationships with others of a similar level of attractiveness. In a recent study, researchers took a selection of wedding photos and cut them up to separate the brides and grooms. They then showed them to people who were asked to rate (8). When the researchers put the photos back into pairs, they found most of the couples had been rated at similar levels. Aside from our ability to rate others, each of us carries a rough estimate in our heads of (9). We realize subconsciously that if we approach someone who is much better looking than we are, we run the risk of being rejected. Whatever the explanation for (10), one thing is clear: Nature has made the whole process as wonderful and addictive as possible. Perhaps that s why so many of us are at least a little bit in love most of the time. Total points: /10pts Ten phrases have been omitted from the article. Fill in gaps 1-10 with the appropriate phrase from the list below (A-M). Write the letter of your answers in the gaps. There are three extra phrases. A finding someone who matches us physically B but presented the same woman with her pupils dilated C admitting to some kind of romantic involvement D how facially attractive we might be E people believe they are in love F how and why we fall in love G people don t want to get hurt H adrenaline enlarges or dilates your pupils I whose side-effects include feelings of great happiness J who have a lot in common with them K how hard it is to choose L how attractive each person s face was M we may not be aware of exactly what it is
L I S T E N I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N You will hear someone talking about reading. For questions 1-5, choose the best answer (A, B or C). Circle the letter of each answer. You will hear the information once only. 1 The speaker says reading and driving are similar because... A they are both difficult to learn. B you have to practise a lot to be good at them. C you have to pass reading and driving tests. 2 One reason some young people read very slowly is... A they say the words aloud in their heads. B they watch too much TV. C they don t recognize all the words. 3 The speaker thinks saying the words aloud... A is the best way to read. B should not be allowed. C is a necessary stage children go through. 4 The speaker blames adults because... A they send their children mixed messages. B they complain about children not reading. C they make reading seem difficult. 5 The speaker says that... A we should have learnt to read by the time we leave school. B we have to keep practicing reading. C we should do regular exercise. Autori: Mgr. Marta Macková, PhDr. Zuzana Vépyová, PhD. Recenzent: Mgr. Anna Brisudová Korektor: Lyn Steyne Olympiáda v anglickom jazyku Vydal: IUVENTA Slovenský inštitút mládeže, Bratislava 2012 Total Points:.../5 pts